If you’ve been to the grocery store lately, you don’t need us to tell you that eggs are expensive.
But now, that high cost is leading to price increases on some other sweet treats, impacting local bakeries.
“Pastry, pizza, you name it! It’s very good,” Scott Perry, of Griswold, said.
“I’ve been here a couple of times, and everything’s always been great,” Donna Perry, of Griswold, said.
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The baked goods and sandwiches are what draw customers to La Stella Pasta and Pastry in Norwich, and eggs are a must for most of their products, from the pastries to the fresh pasta.
“It’s in everything that we do here. We go through about 240 dozen eggs every week,” Justin Burrows, owner of La Stella Pasta and Pastry, said.
Using so many eggs can add up in costs. Burrows said the price difference from three years ago when he opened to now is jaw-dropping.
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“They were around $27 for 30 dozen and today, they’re $209 for 30 dozen,” he said.
One of the reasons for that sky high jump, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is the avian flu outbreak, which is leaving a lot of egg laying chickens dead, including right here in New London County.
A Friday report says, “Supply remains the greatest challenge for the marketplace…”
Burrows said it’s been a challenge to maintain the same prices for customers, but he had no choice but to raise them last week for the first time ever in order to stay afloat.
“Even with the price increase, the price of pasta, the price of breakfast sandwiches is over 50%, just food costs which anyone in the business knows 30% is where you need to be for food costs,” he said.
As an owner, Burrows has to take into account the food and labor cost of making anything, but also what customers are willing to pay.
“You’re not going to pay $11 for an egg and cheese sandwich. You won’t do it. Our customers won’t do it and I understand because I wouldn’t, but that is just where we are,” he said.
He even said customer suggestions to simply buy cheaper eggs at Walmart instead of a supplier isn’t feasible for his business.
Burrows said, “240 dozen eggs a week is not sustainable. I don’t think they would allow me to do it. They wouldn’t have any eggs."
Customers say the egg prices speak for themselves and understand their pastries will cost a little more now.
“Price has got to go up. I understand that, but doesn’t make it easy for the working man,” Scott Perry said.
Burrows said his supplier already mentioned egg prices to possibly go up 10% more than where they are now in the future, but he said his customers have been very understanding.